Johannes Gabriëlse
Oorlogsidyllen. 10 Teekeningen [War Idylls. 10 Drawings], 1915
Utrecht: A. Oosthoek
1497
Small quarto. (10)ff, loose. First edition. Ten color lithographs unflinchingly depict the horrors of the Great War and criticize the politicians who promote it. Balancing a visceral realism with a...
Small quarto. (10)ff, loose. First edition. Ten color lithographs unflinchingly depict the horrors of the Great War and criticize the politicians who promote it. Balancing a visceral realism with a modernist attention to color and form, Gabriëlse shows the killing of civilians, including children, wondering if it is a "militaire noodzaak [military necessity]." Indeed civilian life features just as prominently as military affairs: shown are bread lines and malnourished pets. The soldiers themselves bear signs of affliction and grief, even in the more ironical images - a sniper camouflages the shining muzzle of his rifle among the candles on a Christmas tree. The set concludes with an illustration of three women - Truth, Peace, and Welfare, about to be burned alive. An eleventh image appears at the front of the portfolio housing, this showing a skeleton with skulls signifying his rank, identified as "De Opperbevelhebber [The Commander in Chief]." Gabriëlse worked as an illustrator and painter throughout both Worlds Wars, including the period of his internment by the Japanese in WWII. In 1945, he died there, still a prisoner. Images all quite bright, few margins show toning or chips, with one a half-inch at the foot of the final plate. Portfolio spine has been repaired, otherwise mildly foxed and rubbed overall. Overall, a vg+ copy of a comprehensively designed, contemporary response to the Great War.